Somewhere to Be
by TJ Sparkles
Summary: For the first time in her life, she felt like she belonged. Christmas present for Heel Princess. Cody/Kelly, oneshot.


**A/N: I'm working double overtime to finish these oneshots! Whew. This one is a Christmas present for one of my best friends on here, Vera (Heel Princess) I know this is a fave pairing of yours =) Merry Christmas, girlie!

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"Hey, Kelly." Cody smiled. He gestured to the blonde's suitcases. "Going home for the holidays?"

"I wish," the blonde sighed. "My new stepdad doesn't like me, and for some reason, my mom's sided with him." She shrugged her shoulders sadly and bit her lip. "So I guess I'm going to spend Christmas with Mickie and her family."

The look on the blonde's face broke Cody's heart. He scrunched his eyes in thought as he pondered the possibilities. Surely there was something he could do. He hated that look.

"Um, well, I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if you spent Christmas with us." Cody offered. "I could ask them, if you want." He averted his gaze. "I mean, unless you'd rather go with Mickie." His voice grew soft. "I'd understand."

It was a bold move. Pretty much everyone could tell that Cody and Kelly liked each other, but neither seemed quite ready to take that next step. Maybe part of it could be attributed to nervousness, but a bigger part was the fear of rejection.

When the blonde didn't respond, Cody knew he'd made a mistake. He'd overstepped his bounds and now Kelly probably thought he was obsessed with her.

"Sorry."

"No, no, it's fine!" The blonde reached out and put her hand on his forearm. "I appreciate it, Cody, I really do. But I wouldn't want to put you out or anything."

A sigh of relief escaped his lips.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure Mom and Dusty won't mind." He pulled out his cell phone. "I'll just call them and make sure it's fine, but really, they'd be more than happy to have an extra mouth to feed."

"If you're sure." Kelly ran a hand through her hair. "I wouldn't want to cause any trouble."

"It's no trouble, really," Cody said as he pulled out his cell phone. "Tell you what. I'll call them and get the details worked out, and then I'll come get you when we're ready to leave."

"All right, I'll be in the Divas locker room." Kelly managed a small smile and walked off.

To see such a happy, perky, sweet girl completely down in the dumps really ate away at Cody, and so he hoped that spending Christmas with him and his family would be good for Kelly. He was shocked at the fact that her family didn't want her home for Christmas.

He was also hoping that their time together would give him the perfect opportunity to make his move and let Kelly know how he felt about her. Everyone told him that they made a cute couple, right? Well, now was the time to do something about it. He knew that Kelly was single, having just broken up with John, and he hadn't dated anyone since Mickie. It was perfect timing.

He just prayed that it wouldn't backfire.

* * *

It was about thirty minutes later when Cody made his way down the long hallway to the Divas locker room. Most of the roster had left already, so the arena was pretty much empty. He just needed to find Ted and Randy, get Kelly, and then they would be on their way.

He lightly knocked on the door, but it was halfway open, so he stepped in and cleared his throat.

"You ready?" Cody asked. Kelly's luggage was sitting beside the door, and the blonde was slipping into her coat.

"Yeah, Cody. Just let me say goodbye to Nattie and then I'll be ready."

"Okay, Ted and I will be waiting for you in the parking lot. I hope you don't mind riding with Randy part of the way."

"No, it's fine." She smiled. "Thanks again, Cody. I appreciate it."

"Yeah, no problem." He gestured with his thumb. "I'll be in the parking lot."

Once she was sure he'd left, Kelly shut the door and sat down on the small couch. She felt bad because she'd lied to Cody—she wasn't going to say goodbye to Nattie. The truth was that she needed to sort out her feelings. There was absolutely nothing going on between her and Cody at the moment, but the chemistry was there. It was obvious. But she had no clue as to how she would approach the subject.

The past few years of her life had not been good, at least not when it came to relationships. After dating an endless string of losers, she and John Cena began dating, and it seemed like a fairytale. They were happy and in love, and there was nothing he wouldn't do for the blonde. To everyone else, they were like the golden couple of the WWE.

Until things turned sour. Kelly couldn't remember how it had happened or why; all she could remember was that day that John had approached her in catering, looked her dead in the eye, and told her it was over. Needless to say, she'd been hurt, pissed, and disappointed all at once. So their relationship did not end on good terms, and she was still a bit vulnerable and scared. She liked Cody a lot and considered him one of the people she was closest to on the roster. Say their relationship was a disaster. That also meant that they would probably never be able to be friends again. It would just be too awkward and weird, and that was something Kelly hated. She and John had agreed to be friends, but in the end, they hadn't been able to do it. Again, it had been too difficult for either of them, and now when they did speak; it was awkward and seemed forced.

With a small sigh, she pushed the thoughts out of her head and continued walking, her head down and her mind focused on the trip. She hoped this would be the opportunity to change things around. Kelly was tired of always meeting the wrong guy and getting her heart broken. Cody had the potential to be different…she just didn't know if she could let him in.

The Jacksonville native spent most of the trip alternating between sleeping and listening to her I-Pod. Cody and Ted both made small conversation with her, and Randy even chimed in a few times, but for the most part, Kelly remained quiet. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk and be a part of the group. Not at all. She was just overwhelmed and needed to try and sort everything out.

It was nearly 7:00 when Randy dropped Cody and Kelly off. Goodbyes and holiday wishes were exchanged, and Kelly felt her stomach churn even more as they approached the mansion-like home. _What if they don't like me? What if it's not okay with them? I don't have anywhere to go..

* * *

_

"Come on in, son!" boomed the voice of Cody's father, the larger-than-life personality of Dusty Rhodes. "Get in here before you freeze to death!"

"Hi, sweetie." Cody's mom greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so glad you were able to make it home for Christmas." Her face fell. "It's been too long."

Ashamed, Cody stared at the floor.

"I know, Mom. I'm sorry."

"All that matters is that you're here." His mom beamed. "You look good."

"Who's this pretty lady you brought home with you?" Dusty questioned, interrupting his wife and his son.

"Oh, yeah," Cody suddenly remembered. "Mom, Dusty, this is my friend Kelly. She works with me." He smiled and took Kelly's hand.

"Kelly Kelly. I know who you are now." Dusty smiled. The blonde went to extend her hand, but Dusty engulfed her in a huge bear hug instead.

"Good to see you, darlin'."

Kelly looked at Cody, waiting for him to address what everyone else was probably thinking: the fact that she'd came home with him for Christmas.

"Uh, Mom, Dusty, I hope you don't mind, but Kelly couldn't make it home for Christmas, and well, I didn't want her to be stuck back at a hotel, by herself. I told her she could come spend Christmas with us…I hope that's okay."

"Of course not!" Michelle exclaimed, moving forward to lay a hand on Kelly's shoulder. "You are more than welcome to spend Christmas with us, sweetie." Her smile faded. "I'm sorry you couldn't make it home for the holidays."

Cody's mom was a warm, loving, caring woman and Kelly liked her immediately. The hospitality and warmness of Cody's family made her instantly forget about her worries and her family problems. She was glad she'd agreed to Cody's request.

"The more the merrier!" Dusty hollered, as he tilted back his head and let out a rippling laugh.

"Um, so I guess I should help Kelly get settled." Cody cleared his throat. "Mom, is the guest bedroom upstairs all right?"

"Yeah, I just moved all the Christmas presents out of there and down into the basement," Michelle replied. "We're going to have dinner in about an hour, so if you need to wash up, the guest bathroom is just across from our room." She smiled again at Kelly and squeezed her hand.

"Would you like to help me bake cookies later?"

"I'd love to!" Kelly exclaimed.

"Uh-oh, then I better stay outta the kitchen," Dusty interjected. "I know how women are when they get to baking." He nudged Cody. "Son, that's a lesson you'll learn sooner or later."

Cody shook his head.

"Come on, Kels, I'll show you where your room is."

"Okay," Kelly said. She smiled at both Dusty and Michelle and told them,

"Thank you so much for allowing me to spend Christmas with you. It means a lot to me."

"It's no problem, honey." Michelle hugged Kelly. "Any friend of Cody's is a friend of ours."

Kelly hugged the woman back, as visions of future Christmases with the family ran through her head.

It was the first time in a long time that she felt like she was wanted. Like she actually _belonged.

* * *

_

Several hours later, after the cookies had been baked and dinner had been put away, Kelly ventured up to the guest bedroom. She was pretty much exhausted from the trip, and although she loved talking with Cody's mom and Dusty, she needed some time to herself. Luckily, they'd understood, and wished her a good night and a merry Christmas once more.

It was a feeling she could get used to. Being a part of a family was something she'd never really gotten the chance to experience. Even when her parents were married, they still never really treated each other the way a family would. Being here, with someone she was more than comfortable with, gave Kelly a warm feeling and a sense of relaxation.

She had just unfolded her pajamas and set them on the bed when she heard a knock at the door.

It was Cody. He was standing there, with just a hint of a smile on his face, waiting for her to notice him.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, no, of course not." Kelly put the pajamas to the side and motioned for him to come in.

"What's up?"

"So Mom and Dusty think you're my girlfriend…or something." Cody laughed. "I told them you weren't, but they seem to think you are anyway." He plopped down on the bed, beside of Kelly and chuckled. "That's just the way they are."

"It's fine," Kelly said softly, as she stared at the carpet.

With a worried and confused expression on his face, Cody took Kelly's chin in his hand and turned her face toward him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she answered, genuinely. "I'm really glad I decided to come back with you instead of Mickie. I've had so much fun and your family is just wonderful. I can't believe how nice they've been." Her expression grew sad. "I just wish my family could be that way."

"They love you," Cody stated simply. "But why wouldn't they? I told you, Kelly, you're like the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful girl. Everyone likes you. Don't worry about your parents." He dropped his hand and ruffled her hair. "Enjoy this."

"Thank you so much." Kelly squeezed his hand and moved in to kiss his cheek. "You're a sweetheart."

The boy blushed and smiled wide.

"Merry Christmas, Kelly." 


End file.
